Page 52 of Once Upon a Curse for True Love
“Nothing.Just Sarah Michelle.”
“Do I want to know what Callidora is saying?”
Andromeda locked her phone screen.“Definitely not.”
He chuckled, sliding a plate of fluffy eggs and toast in front of her.“Yeah, better not ask.”
They ate breakfast together at his small kitchen table, their knees touching beneath it.The morning ritual took on a strangely domestic tone.Andromeda stole glances at him between bites, still adjusting to the return of his natural hair color.
“What?”he asked, catching her staring.
“Just getting used to the black again,” she admitted.“I kind of miss the lilac.”
“Don’t even think about it,” he warned, but his smile took any sting out of the words.
After breakfast, Donatello lent her a pair of sweatpants and a hoodie that smelled like him—clean laundry with undertones of that cedar-and-spice cologne.She rolled the waistband of the pants several times and still had to hold them up as she walked.
“I look ridiculous,” she complained, examining her reflection in the bathroom.
“I like you in my clothes,” he corrected, appearing behind her to wrap his arms around her waist.His chin rested on her shoulder as their eyes met in the mirror.
The words sent a thrill through her.Last night she’d thought of this as an unexpected, hot fling with an infuriatingly attractive detective.But now… whatever this was, it wasn’t supposed to make her warm and gooey inside.
The drive to her house was quiet, comfortable.Donatello drove with one hand on the wheel, the other resting on her thigh.Outside, Salem was already bustling with tourists taking photos of colonial architecture, locals putting the final touches on their Halloween decorations, and small business owners sweeping fallen leaves off their stoops.
“So,” he said as they pulled into her driveway, “we should head to the archives before noon.Before Graves takes a lunch break or something.”
“You think he’ll talk to us?”
Donatello shifted in his seat to face her.“He has to.Civilians can’t stonewall law enforcement.”
Her fingers curled against her leg.“Are you being authoritatively sexy?Because it’s working.”
His responding grin was wolfish.“That wasn’t the goal, but keep looking at me like that and I’ll stop pretending to be the responsible one.”Then the heat in his eyes cooled into focus.“Are you ready for this?If Graves’s our guy, he could be dangerous.”
The concern in his voice touched her.“I’ve faced worse than a stuffy archivist,” she assured him.
“Yeah, like what?”
“A smug cop with a dominance complex and unfairly skilled hands.”
He laughed, then leaned over to kiss her.It was a soft kiss, tender, but her stomach bottomed out—not from lust, but from the dangerous feelings taking root inside her.
When they broke apart, a strange shyness overtook Andromeda.“I’d invite you in, but the amount of grief you’d get from Quill isn’t worth it.”
“Agreed.While you deal with the neurotic pincushion, I’ll do a coffee run.”He traced her jawline with his thumb.“Text me when you’re ready.”
She nodded, then surprised herself by leaning in for one more kiss.
“See you soon.”She pulled away and gathered her things.
As she made her way to her front door, wearing his oversized clothes and carrying her outfit from yesterday under her arm, Andromeda knew she looked like what she was—a woman doing the walk of shame after an incredible night.And somehow, she couldn’t bring herself to care, not even when she spotted Quill’s tiny silhouette watching disapprovingly from the window.
Whatever this thing with Donatello was becoming, it was worth a lecture from an uptight hedgehog.She’d take the sermon and ask for seconds.
Chapter Twenty-one
He Brought a Stunner to a Soul Fight
